


Fade Away

by keykiyoshi7443



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Songfic, This is trash, sorry - Freeform, well sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 16:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5877406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keykiyoshi7443/pseuds/keykiyoshi7443
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons run but count the cost.</p><p>The battle is won, but the child is lost.</p><p> </p><p>Ichigo defeats Aizen, but at what cost?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fade Away

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fade Away](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/172957) by Mandopony. 



> Ok so I don't own the song lyrics or Bleach. So this is a weird type of songfic. I've personally never seen this anywhere before so cool.
> 
> The words that have a strike through them are the lyrics, so you do need to read them to actually understand the text. The lyrics are written in order and spread throughout the story.
> 
> I just got really inspired by the song Mandopony wrote for undertale and thought that it would fit Bleach.

It was nearing the end of the winter war. The Gotei 13 were losing badly and no one had any idea what they could do to turn the war around. They had suffered countless losses, both in the world of the living and in Soul Society. Entire districts in the Rukongai had been completely wiped out. The squads were down to about 100 men each. Only the strongest had survived the last wave of hollows that Aizen had sent.

The month before Aizen had raided the world of the living, more specifically Karakura town. The home of their own ace in the hole, the substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo, was destroyed. Most people blame it on an unknown nuclear attack suspected to be sent by North Korea. Others that know better know that Aizen had sent wave after wave of hollows and lower Espada to kill all those close to the substitute. Unfortunately they had succeeded.

First they had killed his little sisters, arriving at their middle school before Ichigo could get there and leaving the school burnt to the ground. There was only 200 survivors out of the original thousand. Next they hit the Kurosaki Clinic and blew it up before Isshin could even lift a finger to do anything. ~~If~~ that wasn’t enough, they next targeted the high schools. Burning them and releasing toxic gases to kill as many people as possible.

Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad and Uryuu unfortunately did not make it out alive. This drove Ichigo into both a state of depression and anger. He abandoned the living world not that long after the attack and became a beast on the battle field. Taking out entire legions of hollows in his anger. He fought recklessly without a single care to his own wellbeing. Eventually his anger cooled into a deep seated hatred. His depression became more dominant and anyone who talked with him longer than a 5 minute report could see just how much the war cost him.

He was only 15 when he got into the war. Now at the age of 17 he’d had to learn lessons he should have never had to learn. After he had lost his family he had taken permanent residence in Soul Society, deciding to give up on having a normal life. But the final battle was going to happen anytime now, and Ichigo needs a way to be able to fight Aizen and win. And so, he talked to his inner hollow and his Zanpakuto spirit.

“ ~~I~~ need to get strong fast. Do you know of any techniques that can make sure that we win?” Ichigo asked his inner hollow. Zangetsu was oddly silent throughout the entire exchange.

 **“King, we’ve taught you almost all we know. There’s not much we can still do. But there’s one thing left that I can teach you. If you ~~let~~ me, then we can merge, giving ~~you~~ perfect control over your rietsu and my hollow abilities.”** He said after a while.

“How does that ~~go~~ exactly? ~~Would you still be a part of me?~~ ” Ichigo askes quietly. “ ~~Is this~~ even safe? What would happen to you?” he questioned. Shiro looked at him sadly.

 **“King, you do realize that I was born from your soul. I was never a separate being. I guess I’m like a second Zanpakuto. In fact I wouldn’t even be separate from you if it wasn’t for how you awakened your Shinigami powers.”** He laughed.

“Then are you even ~~real?~~ ” Ichigo asked him confused.

Shiro merely grinned sadly at him. **“I’m as real as anything in here king. Once we do the merge, it’ll be like I never separated from you… Well you ~~will~~ have some side effects ~~I~~ suppose. Your blood lust will increase and you might get some more of my personality considering the fact that since I became a separate entity my personality will make more of an appearance if we merge.”**

  
**“That’s not all. Your overall power will increase along with your rietsu control. You would probably even be able to perform some kido. Well at least better than that red headed pineapple.”** Shiro laughed weakly. **“Besides king, I was already a part of you. I won’t really ~~go~~.”** Ichigo looked down.

“Is this what you want, Shiro. I’m sure Urahara has some other ideas ~~on~~ how we can survive the war. I mean, you’re alive too. You do know you have a choice, right ~~?~~ ”

Shiro smiled bitterly. **“Damn sometimes you’re just way to innocent king. Either that ~~or~~ your just plain stupid. We never had a choice king. This ~~is~~ how Aizen has always wanted it. ~~This~~ is ~~all~~ it’s ever going to be. Aizen has planned out everything. Don’t you get it king? We’re never going to have a choice!”** He cackled weakly.

Shiro’s grin no longer held its maniacal edge to it. Even a hollow, whose identifying trait is blood lust and lacking a heart has gotten tired of the war. It’s taken a toll on everyone. **“It was all ~~just a fantasy~~ , and illusion created by Aizen in preparation for his master plan.”** Ichigo grimaced at his hollow’s words. Even though they were true, it was still a very negative thought.

“I never thought you’d be the one to be cynical Shiro. But for once screw Aizen’s plan. ~~It’s~~ our choice on what we do from here on out. He can’t have planned every decision we make. We can always do something to surprise him. Like we always do. So I ask again, what do you want?”

 **“To tell ya the truth king, I’ve ~~been~~ thinkin’ ‘bout this for a while. The old man an’ I knew you wouldn’t be able to win this without more than what ya have now. ~~So~~ ‘ ~~long~~ as ya win, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”** He got a shadow over his eyes as he looked up at Ichigo. Smiling weakly in a very uncharacteristic way. **“It’s all we need to do; win.”**

Ichigo stared at his hollow sadly. _‘What a pitiful pair we make’_ Ichigo thought bitterly. “Why is it always us? Ever ~~since~~ my mother was killed it’s always been up to us. ~~I~~ am so tired, Shiro.” He muttered. Ichigo sat down, his hollow following. “Why’d we have to be the one that Aizen chose? We never did anything. I wonder what he ~~saw~~ in us.” Ichigo mused.

“If we’d let Rukia do her thing then we never would have been in this situation.” He said calmly.

Shiro laughed **“but we both know it’s not in your nature to let anyone get hurt on ~~your~~ watch. ~~Face~~ it, we’ve got a hero complex”** Ichigo had to laugh at that.

“ ~~I~~ suppose your right Shiro.” He giggled softly. It was rather pitiful, the two of them. A hollow having a conversation filled with emotions and a boy with the hero complex nearly giving up. What a sad pair the two of them made.

“It seems we ~~forgot~~ what we’ve been fighting for lately. With all the death and despair. There’s no one we can turn to. Do we even know ~~who~~ we are? ~~I~~ can’t remember the last time I worried about something completely normal like grades. It all seems so far away and unimportant. And I can’t really bring myself to care at this point.” Ichigo said conversationally to his hollow. It ~~was~~ as if they had all the time in the world.

 **“It’s funny how easily they forget that you are only 17. So young ~~and~~ yet you’re the only one who can do anything about Aizen.”** Shiro agreed.

“Sometimes, ~~I~~ wish that I never got involved. I’ve ~~lost~~ so much, so much that I will never get back. It’s still somehow ~~my~~ responsibility to clean up their messes!” Ichigo complained.

 **“At least they had the ~~grace~~ to let you stay in Soul Society permanently after… the attack”** Shiro pointed out.

Ichigo chuckled softly. “It technically isn’t even my war. And yet Aizen has killed everyone I care about in the world of the living. He has made an extraordinary effort to keep me in the war. It’s almost as if he wants to fight me; wants us to have a fighting chance. It would be so easy for him to simply crush us. But ~~now~~ that I’ve interfered, it’s just a matter of how powerful ~~I~~ can get before the final battle that will decide the war”

He looked down at his arms. Only 2 years ago he had no scars on his skin. Now, ~~just~~ about every inch of his skin was covered in scars. Ranging from small white lines and spots from flying debris, to giant jagged scars from claws. Healing kido only did so much after a while and his hollow regeneration stopped minimizing the scars after the first year. “I ~~want to~~ be normal again” he admitted softly. **“I hope that after the war is over you do get to king. It’s not really fair what you’ve had a face. And all for practically strangers who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if they ever found out about li’l ol’ me.”**

He giggled, sounding for what it’s worth rather insane. “How much longer can we ~~stay here~~? ~~I don’t want to~~ go back. I want to just ~~forget~~ it all.” Ichigo looked off into the distance of his inner world. A lot had changed since he’d been there last. The sideways buildings had remained the same generally. Some of the ones of the outskirts were beginning to crumble and looked a lot more like ruins. The formerly clear glass windows had turned all black, giving no reflection of light.

A great fog had descended below the buildings as well. Hiding whatever lay beneath the buildings. Even the sky had changed, instead of an ever changing spring sky, it now held a simple night view. The crescent moon a deep blood red casting and eerie glow on the buildings. The beautiful star patterns making up for the darkness of the moon. Each star was different and represented someone he had come to care about.

There were thousands of faraway unnamed stars representing all the innocents, all the unknown Shinigami who had already lost their lives for a stupid cause. All the unknown humans who were killed when Aizen was targeting his family, his nakama. All the ones that he never knew that were killed before their time. He grieved for them anyway. Because they were innocent.

They were like him, they didn’t deserve or need to get involved. But they were involved anyway. And it’s reached the point that Ichigo can’t save himself, so he’s trying his hardest to save others.

 

* * *

 

_Ichigo flash stepped across the field. It was complete and utter destruction everywhere. There were hundreds of bodies. Thousands even. The hollows corpses had disappeared into spirit particles at this point, but the Arrancar corpses still remained, so did the Shinigami’s. The captains and survivors of the attack were looking for survivors, and closing the eyes of the dead as a sign of respect. Often they came across those that were dying and all they could do was stay with them because they were past saving._

_This wasn’t Ichigo’s first end of battle routine. He’d done many before, but their certainly had the most bodies he’d seen in a long time. Often, they fought in small groups made up of high level fighters because that’s who Aizen targeted. This was the first time Aizen had bothered to send a large group of basic hollows. The captains and lieutenants couldn’t always be there, so it was up to the seated members and other squad members to fight off the lower level hollows._

_Luckily or not, depending on how you look at it, Ichigo was often injured and had to be rushed to the fourth division after battles so he wasn’t always there for the big clean ups. Usually it was a captain’s responsibility to take care of the dead. But now that Ichigo had become a captain of the Gotei 13 and there was actually a large amount of the dead to look after, it was Ichigo’s responsibility to take care of them. They were under his command when they died, so it was his job to pay them respects._

_He was about halfway across the battle field from anyone else before he came across someone who had been clinging to life. He quickly dropped to his knees beside the injured Shinigami. From the looks of it she was rather young, probably died in her early twenties. She was female, so most likely of the higher numbered divisions. She had here long black hair up in what must have been a bun. That is, until it was burnt away by some sort of fire or lightning attack. He sword arm was twisted awkwardly, probably broken, and her legs were trapped under a large rock._

_Her other hand was badly burnt, probably the result of a too powerful kido. And her Zanpakuto was stabbed through her stomach creating quite the bloody mess. Her eyes were wide and she lay gasping in front of him. “T-t-taicho, I’m g-glad y-you showed u-up” she stuttered out._

_“Shhh, it is ok, don’t try to speak. I’ll get Unohana-taicho, she’ll be able to fix you up just fine! You’ll be ok, just you wait.” He said while he frantically tried to stop the bleeding._

_She carefully lifted her burnt arms and rested it on his arm. He carefully maneuvered so that her head rested on his lap. “I-it is ok t-taicho. I-I’m past s-s-saving. It’s t-too l-late for m-me” she gasped quietly. “Just, ~~please don’t let me disappear~~. Don’t let m-my death, and a-all the other b-be for n-nothing” she whispered. Her last breath escaping her. Ichigo closed her eyes gently. And that’s when another part of his damaged heart broke. To know someone died is one thing, to actually be there for their last moments is a completely different thing._

 

* * *

 

“What have I become? A monster? I never thought that this would happen.” He murmured. And that was when Zangetsu finally decided to enter the conversation.

“ ~~Who we want to be and who we become, are as different as night and day~~. Life will never turn out how you expect it too, and can you really say that if you were to do it over again, that you would not do the same?”

He spoke just a cryptically as he always did. Ichigo smiled softly, at least that was one thing that would never change. One constant in his world of nightmares. “No, probably wouldn’t” he admitted softly.

 **“ ~~I tried to destroy you, but I can’t ignore you anymore~~.”** His hollow said. **“ ~~I~~ never really fought to be king, I would never be able to really take over. I just wanted you to become strong enough that you could be able to protect yourself. You see me and Zan don’t really care ‘bout the others. The one we try to protect is you”** Shiro confessed.

Ichigo looked down sadly “I ~~don’t want to go back~~.” Before he slowly began to stand up. There was work for him to do. It was time for him to begin to get stronger, so that he might be able to save the last of his friends from a horrible fate.  
  
“Alright. Now let’s get stronger so we can beat that son of a bitch!” he said in what he hoped was a determined voice.

 

* * *

  
It was time for the final battle. Aizen had amassed all of his remaining forces and had traveled to Soul Society to fight the remaining Gotei 13. Ichigo still hadn’t returned from where he was training. Rukia stood off to the side of the field. They had been lucky so far. Very lucky that they hadn’t lost any captains or lieutenants. But still the losses took a heavy toll on them all. Like Ichigo, she had been promoted. She was now the lieutenant of the 13 division and acting captain when Ukitake-taicho was too sick to be able to run the division.

She had unlocked her bankai during the first year of the war and had been rising in level of skill ever since. She was now capable of sparing with Renji and winning. But that wouldn’t be enough. She was still nowhere near the power necessary to handle an Espada alone and the captains couldn’t be everywhere. If Ichigo didn’t pull a miracle then they were screwed. “Has the boy shown up yet?” the soutaicho questioned Yoruichi. She along with Urahara Kisuke and the Vizards had come to Soul Society to fight with Ichigo since he only had them left in the world of the living.

The soutaicho hadn’t liked the fact that the Vizards were in Soul Society but they had needed all the help they could get in holding off Aizen’s forces. They had also made it very clear that they were Ichigo’s allies, not Soul Society’s. Still they helped fight and they helped take care of things in Soul Society so it was anything bad. “ ~~No~~ sign yet Yamamoto-san” she replied softly. “He’ll come through, he always does” she murmured. Talking more to herself than to the soutaicho.

“ ~~I~~ hope he comes soon” Rukia mumbled. “Aizen’s not going to stand there doing nothing for long, and none of us are capable of handling him.”

“I ~~don’t~~ think he’ll be too long now.” Ukitake reassured his lieutenant. “But I don’t ~~want to~~ think about what would happen if he didn’t show up soon.” The remaining Espada were already beginning to get restless. There was no way they would be able to stand in silence for much longer. The Shinigami like hollows were blood thirsty and hungry for battle. From what they know of Kenpatchy, sparring only goes so far for the hunger for blood.

Looking over at the 11th squad’s captain, you could see him grinning in anticipation for the battle. Suddenly there was a booming laughter ringing across the field. “How silly you must feel. Having your hero not come for you” Aizen laughed. “He is right to run away you know, you simply can’t win. You old fools who have had centuries to build up power, all fall behind to a teenager who only had 2 years to grow. How amusing.”

“And how terrible you must feel knowing that you have dragged a mere 15 year old into a war. You just couldn’t let that power go and you had to pull him in, use him. And look what’s it’s gotten him, his family and friends all killed. Nothing but grief.” He smirked as he looked through their ranks. All but Yamamoto-soutaicho looked to suddenly be realizing what they’ve done. Even the stoic Soi-fon was beginning to look sick as she realized that she had willingly thrown a child into a war that he shouldn’t even be involved in in the first place.

Only Yamamoto, who knew all along what he was doing, and what the consequences were didn’t show regret and guiltiness. He did feel some sorrow for the substitute’s loss of innocence but in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter. He made the choice between one human boy and the fate of the afterlife. After all, what was 1 compared to thousands?

“Demons run but count the cost. The battle’s won, but the child’s lost” Ukitake mumbled quietly. Rukia looked up at her sick taicho.

“Taicho?” she asked quietly.

He smiled bitterly down at her “just a little poem from the living world. Nothing to be too concerned about.”

  
Unknown to the assembled Shinigami, a portal opened just above the captains. Only the opposing side noticed. Aizen’s feral grin began to ~~fade away~~ as he realized just who walked out of the portal. A lone figure walked out of the portal and stood above ~~the~~ Shinigami in midair. The figure was tall and had deathly pale skin. He had bright orange hair and piercing amber eyes that seemed to sweep across the field.

He wore a basic black hakama and a coat that looked like a cross between the usual Shinigami garb and Ulquiorra, the quatra Espada’s, coat. It had a high collar and was skin tight, though it was black with white lining. He held two long katana. One completely black and the other completely white. On all the skin that was visible was covered in grey bandages that emitted a strange blue glow. The ~~way~~ he walked forwards was like a predator stalking their prey. Dangerous and stealthy. Not wasting a single move. It was odd though. He emitted absolutely no rietsu whatsoever.

Byakuya’s eyes widened as he looked up at the approaching figure. ‘ _What ~~is~~ this_?’ he thought ‘ _how can he be emitting absolutely no rietsu when just the day before, he had no control over his massive spiritual pressure?_ ’ He looked over at Aizen to see that the smile had been wiped off of his face. Instead it had been replaced with a scowl and an annoyed glare.

“Well it seems you’ve finally come, Kurosaki-san! I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show up at all!” he called over to the approaching figure. Finally Ichigo stopped as he stood about a foot in front of the Shinigami.

“You should have known better Aizen” he growled. “I have a bone to pick with you!”

Aizen merely smiled serenely. “Ahh but Kurosaki-san, why don’t we have a little chat first? I’ve come all this way after all.” He said while smiling his fake smile. Ichigo growled, his mouth ~~open~~ in a snarl.

“But it seems you don’t feel like chatting, eh Kurosaki-san.” he said cheerfully. “ ~~I~~ don’t think that you fully comprehend your situation quite yet though, Kurosaki-san.” he sneered down at Ichigo. “But you’re just a silly little boy, who got thrown into a war he should have never been involved in. Just a silly little boy who has lost so much. ~~Will~~ you ~~not~~ just give up?” he asked mockingly. “Did it ever ~~cross~~ your mind just how outmatched you are?” he laughed bitterly.

“But you still try anyway.” He murmured. His eyes betraying an unknown emotion.

“ ~~I will never be whole again, after so much loss~~. I can’t. I don’t know anything else anymore. There’s nothing left for me back in the world of the living. But there are people still here. There’s people I can still save.” He says after a while. “I will fight you. I will continue to fight you, until the very end. ~~With my last breath I will~~ defeat you. I’ll ~~set them free~~.” He finished.

“Because it doesn’t matter about me anymore. I'll never be the same person I was before this began. And I have nothing to go back ~~to~~ , there’s nothing left for me after this. But there’s still things left for them. They still have a future. And I won’t let you take that away from them!” he yelled angrily. “They can still ~~live the life that was never meant for me~~ ” he said in a quiet broken voice.

And in that moment, everyone could see just how much the war had cost him. Just how broken he was. And it was all Aizen’s fault. He had been watching Ichigo since he was a child, controlling his life and molding him into the only person who could possibly stand a candles chance in a rainstorm against him. Molding him so that he could create another monster.

Someone who was like him, all alone because of their power. Someone who had now risen to such a level that no one else could ever understand. “It’s ~~my~~ burden now, it was always mine to bear. Never theirs, never something they have had to deal with. They were just collateral damage. And now you’ve finally gotten bored. It’s finally ~~time~~ to end the game.” He accused him as he stepped forward.

“It ~~is~~ all ~~coming~~ to a close now too. You’ve gotten bored so ~~soon~~ into your little game. Decided that it’s time for you to move on with your plan. ~~So~~ you’ve decided that it’s time for the closing. It’s time for you to ~~leave~~ everything behind because it’s useless now. You’re still all alone, still so tired.” He continued. “Tired of being alone and forgotten. Being overlooked. Isn’t that right?” he asked him gently.

Aizen growled. He’d obviously hit a nerve. “You dare” Aizen snarled, “you dare accuse _~~me~~ _ of this? All of you should ~~be~~ grateful I have let you live this long, insolent boy!” he stalked forward a few steps before continuing. “ ~~If only~~ you actually had a chance. Silly little boy. You know nothing. Nothing at all, you stupid boy. How dare you mock me! You are just a lost little boy who has tried to get involved in things he shouldn’t have.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “ ~~I~~ just can’t believe the sheer stupidity that you possess. The pathetic hope you continue to hold on too. But you know that you aren’t going to win. You still believe that you ~~could~~. But we’re going to ~~turn the page~~ of this story. It’s all going to end now.” He spoke angrily.

Ichigo looked down ~~and~~ began to speak “do you know what it’s like” Ichigo asked softly “do you know what it’s like to have to ~~relive~~ the deaths of ~~those~~ close to you. Those damned ~~memories~~. ~~Now I’m forced to~~ end this because no one else can.”

“Just like I was forced to ~~say goodbye~~ to ~~my~~ family. ~~Only~~ I had to say goodbye too soon. I had to say goodbye to my family and every ~~friend~~ I had ever made because of you! All of it ~~a thousand years too soon~~. They could have lived long and happy lives, but because of you they can’t anymore!” he snarled now. No longer the perfect picture of calm.

“This needs to end, ~~I~~ need to end you because you ended them! This ~~never~~ would have happened if it wasn’t for you! Before I was doing it because it was the right thing to do. Now I’m doing it because I ~~want~~ revenge. I want ~~to see it~~ all ~~end~~! ~~But~~ that isn’t all of it, is it?”

“ ~~Who~~ were you to decide who should live and who should die? Don’t even think for a moment that ~~we want to be~~ the ones who have to do this. If you hadn’t betrayed everyone, if things had just remained as they were, everything would have been fine. No one would have died. Why couldn’t you just be happy?” he began to demand. No longer standing so far away. He stalked a few steps forward before he

“Oh but it was never enough for you was it? You just couldn’t be happy with things how they were, ~~and~~ this was the result. Oh ~~who~~ you have turned into. Who ~~we~~ have all been forced to become! ~~We are as different as night and day~~ from our old selves!” He laughed slightly hysterically.

It shocked everyone who stood around him. Ichigo may not have been the most positive teen in the universe, but he had never been this cynical. Throughout the years of war, he had seemed to keep his rash attitude. Though it no longer took place on the battle field, he had made sure to seem like the young teen he was.

Despite being so young, he knew that what the Shinigami needed more than anything was someone who was still ‘innocent’. It reminded them of what they needed to fight for. So he had pretended, pretended to act like the rash little boy that they thought he was.

He never let them truly know how the war had affected him. How he had changed, how he had suffered. Sure they saw the grief, but it was that of a child who couldn’t understand losing people. How easily they forget that he had lost people before the war too. They forgot that he knew what the loss of loved ones did to people.

It wasn’t Isshin who had to raise the twins after their mother died. No, he had been far too lost in his own grief to notice the grief of others. So Ichigo had had to grow up at the young age of 9. He stopped crying because he had to look after the family left. He had to cook and do the shopping. He did everything he could to help.

Ichigo had never been a proper child after that. His silly little hot headed charade was a security blanket. When people looked at him, they expected him to be a punk and that’s what he was. He merely played the part that others expected of him because he had been doing it for so long. The Shinigami saw him as a pathetic little child.

When they saw him in the field, working efficiently to take out every enemy, they seemed to forget that he was only 17 years old. He wasn’t even a legal adult yet in the living world. When they were off the field they treated him like a naive little child that didn’t know anything, because it made them feel a bit better.

When they saw him at the mass funerals for all the lost Shinigami, they seemed to forget that he lost people in the war too. They simply couldn’t look past the fact that he was a captain to see the suffering of a teenage commander who had just lost people under his protection. People’s deaths he believed that he could have stopped. They seem to forget any suffering but their own. But now staring up at him standing tall and furious, they begin to wonder. When exactly was it that they lost him?

Ukitake stares sadly at him. The fierce look on his face, the way he cackles and speaks so cynically. Like an old man who has been screwed over by life too many times to count. He had thought that all they had lost were the lives of innocents, but had they been the reason that Ichigo had had to grow up?

“ ~~I tried to destroy you~~ once, ~~but I can’t ignore~~ the burning hatred that I feel for ~~you anymore~~. So what do you say to one last battle, winner takes all?” he asks as he smirks confidently up at Aizen.

Aizen glares at him momentarily, but then sneers. “ ~~I~~ think that is the stupidest thing you’ve done yet, but I ~~don’t~~ think it would too detrimental to me. There’s no way you can beat me.” He says condescendingly.

“We’ll see old man” Ichigo replies before he is off in a blur of movement. They had chosen to fight in the air above everyone’s heads. They were incredibly graceful as they traded blows, neither of them wasted a single movement. Many of said movements were far too fast for many to see. But what they could was awe inspiring.

All you could see was the occasional flash of orange as Ichigo streaked across the sky. The dash of white and purple as Aizen retaliated. Then there was the dark explosions of light as Ichigo released his Getsuga Tensho, and the bright light of Aizen’s answering kido. It was like an elaborate dance that only knew. Neither of them had gained the upper hand, but the rietsu in the air was beginning to increase, making breathing a bit harder.

“Do you think that he can win?” Rukia asked quietly. Her expression unsure and nervous. All of their lives rested on this one battle. The fate of the world rested on this battle.

“I ~~want to~~ believe that he can.” Ukitake said softly. “You should ~~go back~~ to Abarai-san. We don’t know how this battle will end yet.”

She nodded and scampered off to stand at Renji’s side. She clutched his cloak tightly in her small hands. “Renji, what do you think is going to happen after all of this? You heard how Ichigo was talking. He was talking like he wouldn’t make it out after the end of this battle. Like there wasn’t a happy ending for him.”

He looked down at her softly before breaking into his typical smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Yah! ~~I don’t~~ think you have to worry about the strawberry! He’ll be fine! He still has us, and he has his squad tlook after, he won’t just abandon us. He wouldn’t ~~want~~ us ~~to~~ worry about him! Relax Rukia, everything will turn out fine” he said confidently. She smiled up at him before looking back to watch the battle.

As she looked away his smile quickly seemed to ~~fade away~~. ‘ _You better make it Ichigo, don’t you dare break her heart_ ’ he thought with conviction as he stared grimly at the two fighters. He wrapped his arms around her small frame tightly, ‘ _please don’t be doing what I think you’re doing_ ’.

Ichigo smirked as he finally gained the upper hand in the battle. He was slowly but surely backing Aizen into a metaphorical corner. **“It’s time king”** Shiro suddenly spoke up. Ichigo mentally pulled a face. He didn’t want to have to do this, but it was necessary for them to win. And they couldn’t afford to lose this battle. _‘ ~~Goodbye my only~~ true ~~friend. I wish this wasn’t the end~~ , it was a great run.’_ He thought back to Shiro.

With a burst of light, he was about to make his final attack that would have ended the battle, when suddenly Aizen made an attack. He froze in shock as he felt the cool metal blade go right through him. Blood flew in the air as everyone froze in shock. “NO” Rukia shrieked in shock.

Aizen grinned “you naïve little child, you should’ve known, ~~I don’t want to go back~~! You didn’t think you could take me that easily!”

He roughly ripped his sword out of Ichigo and made an attempt to stand despite his many injuries. Ichigo’s head was down and his hair covered his eyes. No one could tell what he was going to do next, but he wasn’t going to last long with that wound no matter what he did. Suddenly he lunged forward with a clawed white hand and ripped both Aizen’s heart and the hogyoku out of his chest.

“And you actually thought that a sword to the stomach would stop me from taking you down?” he said. Aizen’s face was frozen in shock, before he began to dissolve without the hogyoku’s magic to stabilize him. As soon as he had finished disappearing Ichigo let out a breath. And then he was falling out of the sky. Crying out in horror as he hit the ground with a loud thud, all those that Ichigo had come to call friend gathered around his still form.

Rukia and Renji came to kneel beside his body. Rukia gently moved him so that his head rested on her lap, while Renji frantically tried to stop the bleeding. Unohana and the others stood to the side, knowing it was already too late for the poor substitute. “Hey Rukia” he mumbled, his eyes fluttering open.

“Just relax Ichigo, you’re going to be fine! You’ll see, we’ll get you all patched up and then we’ll go out for dinner to celebrate!” she exclaimed hysterically.

Ichigo smiled softly at her “it is ok Rukia. I know I’m not going to make it. So I just want you to remember our adventures. Every story has to have an ending. Because that’s what we all are in the end, stories. Just have to make sure it is a good one. And it was, it was the best”

He laughed, or tried to and ended up going into a small coughing fit. “You were all fantastic, and you know what? So was I” He grinned weakly as more and more of his energy was sapped. “Just… please don’t forget me” he mumbled as his eyes began to close. Rukia began to sob quietly and everyone stared on in grief. This child before them just sacrificed everything for them and all they could do was watch him die. They would make sure he was never forgotten. Nor would his last words, as he breathed out one more sentence.

“ ~~I don’t want to fade away~~ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to comment and check out Mandopony's music video cuz it is amazing!


End file.
